


Those Who Weren't Hollow

by AvocadoMunch



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Sad, They/them Pronouns for Ghost (Hollow Knight)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26767117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvocadoMunch/pseuds/AvocadoMunch
Summary: Hallownest was in shambles, the infection was taking its hold on the populous. The Pale King feels helpless against the Radiance, searching for any option to save his kingdom.-Ongoing-Hollow Knight spoiler warning
Comments: 18
Kudos: 66





	1. The Hollow One

"Will this plan really work, your majesty?" Ogrim asked the Pale King.

"I have no idea, but we have to try," The Pale King replied, upset and tired. "I've been studying up on Void, what it is, and how it works. To make a being hollow, the Void must first consume them."

"But how will that happen?" Dryya's harsh and surprisingly stern, but feminine voice asked. "How does Void 'consume' a being."

The Pale King looked at the Five Great Knights sitting before him, and with sadness in his eyes he said, "The Void has to kill them and take over their shell."

There were various reactions from across the table. Isma, being the kindhearted and loving warrior she was, was clearly upset. Ogrim hung his head in silence. Hegemol looked concerned for the Pale King. Ze'mer was crying, something she did often, muttering under her breath about 'those poor children'. Dryya, however, was doubtful of the King's ability to kill his own children, then cast their corpses into a pit. She stood up and said, "So be it, King. But are you prepared for such an undertaking?"

The King's eyes were tearful as he made eye contact with the fierce warrior standing in front of him. He said only, "No cost too great." The tears further streamed down his face.

~~~

The Pale King and the White Lady were waiting at the top of the forsaken pit. The Five Knights referred to it as "the abyss", which only pained the King even more. He waited for a long while until he heard noises coming from the bottom of the pit. He peered over the edge of the platform at the top, looking at his children who were coming up towards him. The Void-corrupted egg had hatched, and soon his children would be up to await their father's love and embrace.

The first child that came up on the platform was an incredibly small one. It had a singular horn protruding out of the front of it's head. They had climbed a considerable length and were exhausted. They stood in front of their father, the Pale King, and their mother, the White Lady. They reached out and went to hug their father, making slight cooing noises as they embraced his leg. The Pale King knelt down and hugged the child, holding it close to his chest. The child's cooing sounds were put to a stop when they suddenly were picked up. The Pale King had full streams of tears running down his face and he only whispered, "I'm so sorry, young one."

The child was confused until their father held them over the edge of the platform. They suddenly realized what was about to happen, and tried pleading with their father. Their eyes were hollow, but still held emotion, which was their downfall. They had frantic movements, rapidly tapping their father's arms, begging for mercy. The Pale King was openly crying as he let the child drop, his sobbing only made worse by the sound of the impact that resonated off the cavern walls when the child hit the ground at the bottom. The White Lady turned her head away, clearly repulsed and upset, tears of her own were forming.

The Pale King was kneeling on the ground as he looked up to the ceiling and tearfully asked, "Why me? Why?"

The White Lady sat down next to him and pulled him into an embrace. "Shh... it's okay. Pain is only temporary." She whispered into his head in a fruitless attempt to comfort him. "I know what we're doing hurts, but what other choice do we have?"

The Pale King pushed his face into her chest, openly lamenting. He wanted nothing but for this to end, but he knew that he couldn't stop until an entirely hollow child was found.

The King discovered that wouldn't be for a while. He was emotionally dead after an hour of throwing his children into the pit. His face was stained with tears more than it ever had in his life. The worst was when he encountered the same children more than once. The King was scarred for life when he had to throw his child into a pit twice. He eventually couldn't take it anymore, the White Lady stepped in and took his place on the cursed platform.

"What if none of them are hollow?" He asked the White Lady, sadness overflowing in his voice. "What if we're just becoming murderers today?"

"Don't say that," The White Lady said, her tone was stern but tears were still streaming down her face nonetheless.

While they were speaking, a child arrived on the platform. They didn't hug their father, they didn't seek love from their mother. They simply stared at them. The child had two horns growing from their head. The horns had small two curves inwards in the mid sections before the top. The Pale King looked down at the child, and knelt to hug them. The Pale King's eyes widened when he didn't receive a hug back.

"This is the one," he said to his lover.

"Are they truly Hollow?" The White Lady asked.

The Pale King looked her in the eyes before saying only, "Yes."

The White Lady hung her head in sadness, "Then we shall close the door and seal off this place."

"Agreed. Those still alive will never see the light of day." The Pale King said sadly.

As the Pale King turned to face the door and leave, the hollow child heard a noise behind them. They turned to see another child, hanging from the ledge, practically begging for help. The hollow child pondered them for a second, before turning and following their parents out into the world, leaving the hanging child behind. As the doors were slammed shut, the hanging child fell into the abyss, the sound of the collision with the ground was the only sound heard after that.

The Pale King and White Lady were standing outside the door, the White Lady cradling the child. "No cost too great," The Pale King muttered to himself. He outstreched his arms and with an unseen power, sealed the door to the pit of corpses.

The White Lady put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Let's go home, dear."

The Pale King nodded, and they wordlessly traveled back to the palace. Though neither of them spoke, they both knew what the other felt. Shame. Shame for casting away innocent children, shame for resorting to such a brutal method to save the kingdom, shame for forcing a child into becoming a husk, and shame for being too weak to even tell the public of their plan.

The Pale King broke the silence by talking to his child, "No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering. Born of God and Void. You shall seal the blinding light that plagues their dreams. You are the vessel.

You are the Hollow Knight."


	2. The One That Escaped

The slam of the door was enough to cause the hanging child to fall. They hadn't felt anything up to that point, but while they fell they were overcome with anger and rage. They collided with the ground but were surprisingly alive. They got to their feet and brushed off their horns. They were filled with sadness and shock once they realized they were standing on their sibling's corpses.

They traversed the bottom of the pit, wandering until they encountered an entirely black figure with piercing white eyes. It had just appeared out of the ground, floating in front of them, and lashed out angrily at the wandering child. The child ran from the being of shade, and they kept running until they found an incredibly small hole in the wall of the cavern. Once they discovered the small hole, they realized it was actually a tunnel that lead upwards. When they poked their head inside, it was pitch black. Without hesitation, they climbed the tunnel, wordlessly deciding that wherever this would take them was better than the bottom of a sealed pit.

The climb was brutal and required more energy than the child thought they had. Once they reached the top, they were confused and scared. They were in a cold place, the walls covered in webbing. They found themselves by a large totem of some kind with black tendrils encompassing it. They didn't know where to go, so they picked a direction and began walking, their newfound anger still lingering.

~~~

The White Lady had shown the hollow child to their room. Once the child was asleep, she returned to the Pale King's workshop, figuring he'd be there. She was correct and saw the Pale King sitting at his desk, head in his hands.

"It's not healthy being up this late, dear." She said, trying to coax him into bed.

"I'm a monster," the Pale King said, seemingly ignoring his lover's words.

The White Lady walked up behind him and embraced him, said quietly in his ear, "So am I. We cannot undo what has been done, but we can move forward with what we have."

He buried his face further into his hands, "How can I move forward after what I've done tonight?"

"Shh..." she hushed him, trying to ease his anxiety. "I know you can move on. The strongest people experience the world's worst. And personally, I believe you're the strongest one in the palace after tonight's events."

He looked tearfully into her eyes and said, "If they could feel love, then they could feel pain. And fear, and sadness, and..." His words trailed off as he began to cry once more.

The White Lady began to cry herself, "I know, dear. I know." She tightened her embrace, and they stayed within each other's comfort for quite some time. She eventually said, "Please, come to bed." The Pale King nodded and they both got up and went off to their room. As soon as the Pale King laid down in bed he fell asleep. His sleep wasn't peaceful though, and he figured it was never going to be again.

As the King and Queen slept, the Five Great Knights were in their own quarters. Dryya was shocked more than anything, saying, "I can't believe he did it."

"The others are still down there," Isma said, her eyes wide but she was staring at nothing.

Ze'mer was crying as she said, "They're probably so scared and cold, alone in the dark down there." Her foreign accent was very prevalent.

Ogrim took his turn to speak by saying, "No cost too great."

"That's a bunch of jargon," Hegemol said, taking the entire group by surprise. Hegemol was usually the funny and witty one of the group, always knowing how to brighten everyone's spirits with his humor. Hearing him with such a bitter tone was shocking. "Some costs are too great. Trading the lives of innocent children for the empty promise of a way to stop the infection is something I won't stand for." He took his helmet off, revealing his face to the group. "I refuse to serve under a king who is so brutal he murders his own children just small for a glimpse of hope." He stood up and walked out of the room, Dryya was quick to follow him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hegemol. You can't just quit." Dryya said, grabbing Hegemol's arm to stop him in the hallway.

His eyes pierced into hers in a way they never had before and he said, "He's no king to me." with a bite in his voice. Dryya was left speechless at his sudden change in attitude.

Dryya tried to convince him to stay, but only stammered as Hegemol walked out of the palace. She continued to follow him outside and asked, "Where are you going to go? You don't have a home anywhere else."

"I'm going to the Crossroads. I have family I haven't seen in a while." He said, putting his helmet back on and grabbing his club. "If you wish to visit me, feel free. Tell the group that I will miss them dearly, and that I love them like family. Goodbye, Dryya. It was an honor." He began to walk away, and Dryya watched him fade away into the distant stag station.

When she returned to the knights' shared quarters, the look on her face told the group exactly what they were going to ask.

Isma asked, "Will we ever see him again?"

Dryya looked at her and said, "I don't know, but he said he was going to stay with family in the Crossroads. He said we could visit him if we wish."

Ogrim hung his head and said, "The fool..."

Dryya looked at Ogrim and said, "I didn't have the heart to tell him the crossroads is a hotspot for the infection. He'll figure that out eventually."

Ze'mer looked up and said, "I hope his family is okay."

"We all do," Isma said, staring at nothing once more.

~~~

The child had been walking for what seemed like days, but they couldn't tell the time so they had no idea how long it had been since they were locked in the abyss. They had stumbled across a village with buildings suspended by web. Their cursed father had left them without a voice, so they weren't able to outwardly express any sort of emotion unless they used body language. They were frustrated beyond belief, and eventually gave up attempting to ask for help. They eventually found something that a sign referred to as a 'stag station'. Curious, the child went in. They were greeted with a large, empty room that had a bench in it. Next to the bench was a bell.

The child rang the bell, not knowing what would happen. They were immediately frightened when they heard the thunder of approaching footsteps come from the large tunnel at the end of the room. They were frightened once more when they saw what the footsteps belonged to. It was a rather large creature, constantly huffing and puffing. They cautiously stepped up to the creature as it said, "Point on the map where you'd like to go." The child pointed at the uppermost dot and hopped on the back of the creature. "To the Howling Cliffs it is."

The ride on the stag was bumpy and frightening to the child. Once the stag stopped, they were incredibly quick to get off of it. They bowed as a sign of thanks and walked out of the station. The wind was harsh and noisy as the child found themselves in an area referred to as the 'Howling Cliffs'. They wandered aimlessly, coming across many different sights. One was a small hut with a bench outside. The child heard grunting and metal clashing coming from inside, so they decided it was best not to enter the hut. The child also came across the corpse of a large bug. The bug had six legs, a red hood, and lines above and below its dead eyes. Disturbed, the child was quick to find something else to explore.

They eventually found the edge of the Kingdom, where the wind was the harshest. They took a stray nail on the ground for defense. They began to walk, abandoning the kingdom to see what the rest of the world had to offer, leaving all their memories behind in Hallownest, where they would be forgotten.


	3. Return to the Abandoned Kingdom

"Again." Dryya's voice was stern as she trained the hollow child. Although 'child' wasn't really an accurate description anymore. They had aged into adulthood over the past 15 years. The hollow one did as was instructed, running through the training exercises again as Dryya watched. She wasn't sure why the hollow one was training for combat. _'It's not as if they're ever going to need combat skills. Once they're locked away they're going to be chained up.'_ She did what she was told to do, though, and continued to train the hollow one.

The Pale King entered the training room, which caused the hollow one to stop what they were doing and face their father as he walked in.

"Hello, Dryya. May I borrow the Pure Vessel for a moment? I need to speak with it about future events." The Pale King's voice was blank but showed the smallest bit of sadness.

Dryya immediately understood what he meant and said, "Of course, your majesty. When should I expect them back?"

"This won't take long, don't worry." He assured her. He then ushered the Pure Vessel out into the hallway. They walked in silence as they made their way to the gardens. As the King sat down on a bench, he coaxed the Pure Vessel into sitting next to him. "You know of what comes in your future." He said, cutting through the silence like a sharp knife.

The Pure Vessel nodded.

"Are you ready for it?" He asked.

They again nodded.

"I know you're physically ready, but are you mentally ready?" His voice was interragotive.

They nodded once more.

"You don't have to pretend to be hollow anymore. We all know that you feel hatred towards me." He said, releasing eye contact.

They shook their head.

The King sighed sadly and said, "So be it then. We'll put you in the Black Vault tomorrow. I'm truly sorry about this, but if you're ready then we have no choice. The Kingdom can't wait much longer."

The Pure Vessel nodded again.

"Do you think you'll be enough to contain her?" The Pale King asked.

The Pure vessel made no movements.

The Pale King chuckled at his own expense, "I'm a fool for thinking this would work. I'm sorry, my child."

The next day, the King woke up anxious. He knew what he had to do today, but wanted nothing to do with it. He was filled with dread as he lead his child to the Black Vault in the crossroads. As he lead his child in and suspended them with chains, he was tearfully whispering, "I'm sorry," repeatedly. With sorrow, he placed a seal of binding on the Hollow Knight, letting the dreamers take care of the rest. They would place the infection in the Hollow Knight's mind. They would seal the Black Vault.

~~~

In the fifteen years the child had explored the lands beyond Hallownest, they hadn't grown into adulthood. They remained the same size, much to their disappointment. While exploring, they had felt a mysterious pull to the kingdom of Hallownest. They had forgotten all about their home, origin, and the events on the day of their birth. They found themselves on the edge of a cliff. They saw lights in the distance, and decided to head towards them, jumping off the cliff and landing safely on the bottom. They walked through a strange path, coming across tiny bugs on the ground and aggressive flies swooping down and annoying them. They came up to a sign that said: "Higher beings, these words are for you alone. Your great strength marks you amongst us. Focus your soul and you shall achieve feats of which only others can dream." The child knew what the sign was referring to. They had discovered while they were exploring the lands how to heal themselves using soul.

They continued, finding another sign that read: "Higher beings, these words are for you alone. Within our lands do not hide your true form. Let all bask in your majesty, for only this kingdom could produce ones such as you." They weren't sure what to make of the sign, so they pressed on. They came across one final tablet that read: "Higher beings, these words are for you alone. Beyond this point you enter the land of King and Creator. Step across this threshold and obey our laws. Bear witness to the last and only civilisation, the eternal Kingdom. Hallownest"

The child finally knew the name of the kingdom they were walking into. They came across a door and after many hits, broke it down and entered the kingdom, unknowing of their history they already shared with the dead kingdom.

A being watched as they entered the well into the Crossroads from far away. The being had a red cloak, a strand of thread, and a needle. She watched the void-consumed child from a distance, knowing of its tragic conception. She decided the best thing to do would be to put it out of its misery, as she had done to its previous siblings she had encountered. When she ran into the child again in Greenpath, that's what she decided to do.

She stuck her needle out towards the child and said, "Come no closer, Ghost of Hallownest. I am Hornet..." She was going to say more, but was cut off by the child throwing their nail at her then running towards her, clearly ready for a fight.

The child grabbed the nail that they threw and clashed blades with the figure they now knew as Hornet. They had followed her throughout all of Greenpath, but they never figured that was what she wanted them to do. She had lead them there just so she could kill them, but they weren't going to let that happen.

The battle they had was long and brutal. The child had finally taken their victory over Hornet. Worn out, she used her thread and needle to zip off into the distance and away from the child she referred to as a "ghost". She watched them as they put on the mothwing cloak, an item of clothing that was on the cadaver of their sibling of similar origin. She watched as they donned the cloak and dashed away, into the distance.


	4. The Birth Cursed Sibling

The Ghost of Hallownest wandered the crossroads, seeing what there was to be seen. They came across a large temple called 'The Black Egg Temple'. Confused, they went inside. They saw a large door with three unknown faces carved into the door. They touched the door cautiously, noticing the faces would glow when they approached the door. They heard footsteps coming from behind them and was quick to turn around. 

"I see you've found the vault of our birth-cursed sibling, Ghost of Hallownest." Hornet's voice reverberated off the walls. "I'm not here to fight you, Ghost." She said, noticing their reach for their nail.

The child was confused when she said, 'our'. Were they related to her without knowing? That couldn't be possible. 

"They were locked in this cage months ago," Hornet explained. "They were supposed to be the savior of this kingdom, now they're just suffering for no good reason." 

The child was confused again, not sure what she meant. 

"Do you not know why you were born?" Hornet asked, seeing the confusion in their body language. 

The child shook their head. 

Hornet sighed and said, "Then you shall come to know eventually. You're lucky you're not haunted by your tragic past, Ghost." 

The child tilted their head to convey confusion. 

"It's a story not for the faint of heart," Hornet said. "You're better off seeing it for yourself." Before the child could process what she had said, she zipped away into the distance. 

The child's head was running a mile a minute with various thoughts. 

_'Was I born here?'_

_'What did she mean_ our _sibling?'_

_'How were they supposed to be the savior of this kingdom?'_

The child's head was clouded, and they needed to sit down. They wandered until they came across a small spring with milky white water. There was a figure sitting in the water, and he looked up at the child. "Hello young one," the pillbug said with a cheery voice. "My name is Quirrel. I'm a traveller, and I have something of an obsession with uncharted places. You are?" 

The child didn't know his name, but etched the word "Ghost" into the ground with their nail because that is what Hornet referred to them as. 

"Ghost... Not one for speech, are you?" Quirrel asked, fascination behind his voice. 

The child shook their head. 

"Well then, Ghost, it is a pleasure to meet you. Please, feel free to step into the hot spring. I was just about to leave." Quirrel said, standing up and grabbing his nail that was leaned against the bench in the room. 

The child bowed as a sign of respect and thanks before stepping into the hot spring. The water was warm and comfortable, and after sitting in it for a couple seconds they felt replenished. 

"Take care, Ghost." Quirrel said, waving as he left. 

The child waved back as the pillbug left. They took a long time to enjoy the comfort of the water, their head beginning to feel heavy. They dozed off to sleep, but never closed their eyes. They couldn't. Their eyes were just holes in their shell, but they could still see nonetheless. The warm water coaxed them to sleep, and that's what they did. 

~~~

"When's the last time he's eaten?" Dryya asked the White Lady. The Pale King had shut himself in his workshop, ashamed of his actions. The Hollow Knight plan didn't work, and the infection was spreading faster than ever. 

The White Lady finished pouring her and Dryya cups of tea and said, "Days. I'm concerned for him. He's been so self-depricating and shameful that he's been refusing to eat." 

Dryya said her thanks as she took the cup of tea, and then said, "Should we send someone in to retrieve him? Like a retainer or something?" 

"I doubt that would do any good," The Queen of Hallownest said sorrowfully. 

"Your majesty, forgive me for asking, but have _you_ tried to go in and talk to him?" Dryya asked, curious. 

"It's quite alright. To answer your question, no I haven't," the White Lady said. "I've been scared."

"Scared of what?" 

"Scared of the fact that he might've taken his own life. I don't want to be the one to discover that, as shameful as that is," the White Lady admitted, breaking eye contact. 

"That's not shameful, your majesty," Dryya said, trying to console the Queen. "The King is many things, but suicidal is not one of them. He still has to run his kingdom, I doubt he'd take his own life at a time like this." 

The White Lady sighed and said, "I know, but I'm still concerned." 

Dryya stood, "Then I can go in. I'll fetch him, or get him something to eat," her voice was definitive and final. 

The Queen stood up to meet her and said, "You don't have to, Dryya." 

Dryya said only, "I know I don't have to," before walking towards the workshop.

"Good luck, Dryya," the White Lady said to her as she began to walk. 

"Thank you, your majesty." Dryya bowed before exiting.

Before going to the workshop, she made a stop in the kitchen to grab a plate of food that he had already refused earlier that day. With the plate in hand, she marched towards the door to the workshop. When she reached the door, she knocked before saying, "Your majesty, it is me, Dryya. May I come in?"

No response. 

"I'm going to come in now, if you don't want me to, just say so," she opened the door. She walked in and saw the Pale King sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. He was muttering things like, 'It's my fault', and 'I should've known it wouldn't work', and 'Why me?'. Dryya cleared her throat to remind the king of her presence. 

The king was startled and turned around to say, "Ah, Dryya. I didn't hear you come in," in a false cheery voice. 

"Your majesty, I announced my presence twice." Dryya said blankly. "I've brought some food for you." 

"Oh no thank you, Dryya. I appreciate the offer, but I have work to do." The King's voice was beginning to falter, his facade was failing. 

Dryya looked at the king and sighed, "Your majesty, please. It's been days and the Queen is worried sick about you. You haven't eaten, and you haven't left your workshop." Her voice was beginning to run with concern, a first for her.

"Oh nonsense, my work is for the good of the kingdom, I can't pause it now," the Pale King said. 

"And this food is for the good of your well being," Dryya said, her eyes begging. "Please, your majesty, it's not your fault. The Radiance was just more powerful than we thought." 

The King snapped back quickly, "Don't say her name!" He was angry at the thought of the goddess behind the infection, but once he saw Dryya recoil away from him after he snapped, he quickly calmed down. "Maybe you're right, Dryya. I think a break would be best for everyone." He sighed. 

Dryya calmed down and said, "Thank you, your majesty. I'll leave the plate of food here, once you're done eating, meet the Queen in the gardens, please. Your Queen misses you dearly." 

The King sighed and said, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, Dryya. It was rude of me," his voice was somber. "I'll meet her in the gardens, thank you again for bringing me the food." 

"Of course, your majesty." Dryya said before walking out. 

The King was quick to finish his food. After he was done eating, he went to the gardens like he said he would. 

"Welcome back to life, your majesty." The Queen said in a joking manner to the King. 

The Pale King smiled and said, "Thank you for sending Dryya. I don't know how much longer I could've gone in isolation," as he sat down on the ground next to her. 

The Queen replied with, "She acted of her own volition. But I'm glad to see you out and about, dear." 

The King sighed and said, "It's my fault the plan didn't work." He stared off at nothing. 

The Queen was quick to retaliate by saying, "It was not your fault." She embraced the King, who was quite notably smaller than her. 

"If I had known that the knight she was this powerful, I wouldn't have locked her in their mind." The King's voice was full of sorrow. "I trapped our child in a neverending hell, being tormented by the Radiance. I killed all of those children years ago. They could've had good lives." 

The White Lady's voice was clear and almost stern when she said, "It was _not_ your fault. You weren't the only one who killed that day. Please stop blaming yourself, it's not doing any good to anyone." She tightened her embrace on the King.

"Thank you, dear, but I can't help but feel as if I could've done something different." His voice saddened, but no tears were being shed. "I feel like the cure to her infection is simple, but I created a convoluted plan anyways." 

"We can't change the past, we can only move forward with what we have, dear." The White Lady said. 

The Pale King thought for a second before saying, "You said the same thing on _that_ day." 

"And I hold by those words now." She said, releasing the king and looking into his empty eyes. "We will move on together. We will stop her reign of terror." 

"How do you know that?" The Pale King asked, his voice sad. 

"If we don't stop her, then who else will? Who else _could_ stop her?" 

~~~

The child woke up from their slumber, and exited the hot spring, looking for answers to the questions in their mind. 


	5. The Capital City

The Ghost of Hallownest had furthered their exploration, seeking answers to the questions in their mind. They had found their way into the Fungal Wastes, or at least that's what the cartographer Cornifer called it. They had gone to Cornifer for all of their maps thus far and found him in the Fungal Wastes after hearing his signature humming. With their map almost completed, they had just one way more they could go in the Fungal Wastes. They found the path they had yet to explore. At the front of the path was Hornet, who appeared to be waiting for them. But when the child stepped forward to try and talk to her, she ran off down the pathway and out of sight. Making their way forward on the path, they saw that there was a large acid river without a bridge. They acrobatically made their way across the acid river, even without a bridge. As they made it across, they came across a large stone door. It had already been opened, though, which slightly concerned the child, but they didn't think much of it. 

As the child made their way through a large hallway, the white noise of rain started to slowly fade into their hearing. 

~~~

"We need to be able to travel into the Dream Realm," The Pale King said. He and the Four Great Knights were sitting at a conference table, the White Lady was standing against the wall. "That's where she resides." 

"I thought she was trapped in the Hollow Knight's mind, your majesty," Ogrim pointed out. 

"She is, but she is still in the Dream Realm. The small section of the Dream Realm that confines her is within the Hollow Knight," The Pale King explained. "It's not as if we can just cut them open and fight the Radiance." 

"Well, what can we do currently? How many options do we have?" Isma asked. 

Dryya took her turn to speak, "Not many." 

The Pale King looked tired and worn out as he said, "We can either wait it out and try to rebuild the kingdom, or we can fight the infection head on. The former option is the safest for us, but the latter option is an immediate solution that would benefit the civilians directly." 

"What even happens to someone who's infected?" Ze'mer asked, taking her turn to speak. 

"Horrible things," the White Lady said. "People lose their minds to the Radiance. She enslaves their free will. They just become a husk of the person they once were, only being piloted by their anger. What's the worst part about it, is that those who are infected are still aware of what's going on. They can still think to some extent, but they have no control over their mind." 

Ze'mer looked clearly repulsed by the description. 

The Pale King buried his face in his hands, tired and confused. "What do we do?" he asked himself repeatedly under his breath. 

"Say we were to find a way to the Dream Realm... What would we do from there?" Dryya asked the Pale King, curious. 

He looked up into the warriors fierce eyes. They seemed different than when he first recruited her. They used to have so much spark in them, always seeming ready for anything. Now they just seemed tired and lacking emotion. "We'd find the Radiance and try to reason with her, I guess." 

Dryya scoffed. "You want to _reason_ with the goddess who's been infecting your citizens? Do you think you can solve all your problems by just sitting down and having a chat?" Her voice was escalating. 

The Pale King didn't make eye contact with her. 

"What do you think would happen if we tried reasoning with an angry goddess? How could you possibly see that ending well?" Dryya was standing by this point, her voice well passed a normal speaking level. 

The Pale King didn't say anything in response, still seated in his chair and refusing to make eye contact with the warrior who was standing almost above him at this point. 

"Please tell me you have a more effective plan than reasoning with her? How in Wyrm's name could you think that would possibly work?!" She was at a full yell. 

"That is enough." The White Lady's voice boomed with authority, startling everybody. "Leave at once. I will find you in your quarters and we will speak of your behavior later, Dryya." 

Dryya was taken aback by the Queen's suddenly loud voice, which was out of character for her. Dryya stormed out of the room, angrier than ever.

The White Lady lowered her voice to a gentle speaking volume as she politely asked, "Would you three mind giving me and the King some time in private please?" 

"Of course your majesty." Ogrim said, standing and bowing. Ze'mer and Isma followed suit, and eventually the King and Queen were alone. 

"Don't listen to what she's saying, dear." The Queen said, putting a hand on her King's shoulder. 

The Pale King sighed and said, "She's right. She always is. How can I expect to reason with the goddess of dreams?" His voice was sad and defeated. 

"Even if reasoning doesn't work, it's still better than having no plan at all." The Queen said. 

"I guess you're right about that..." the Pale King admitted. "I could enforce the quarantine on the capitol city maybe. Hopefully that will bring ease of mind to the public." 

"That sounds like a wonderful start," the White Lady said. "With how fast the infection is spreading, they need a reason to think they're safe, even when they're not." 

The Pale King sighed once more and said, "I still feel as though the cure to this plague is easily obtainable, and I've just been to asinine to see it." 

"You're not asinine, dear. You're doing your best." The Queen's attempts to comfort the king went in vain. 

"Maybe my best isn't good enough. Saving an entire kingdom requires more than I think I'm able to give." The Pale King said with sorrow, staring into the distance at nothing. 

~~~

As the child walked into the unfamiliar environment, they felt the splash of rain on their head. They explored the city, which seemed to be asleep. There was no one to be seen anywhere. Except for one person, and they zipped into view as Ghost came across a fountain in the center of town. 

"Hello again, Ghost of Hallownest. I see you've made your way to the city. You've proven yourself to be stronger than your siblings, young one." Hornet's voice rang out behind Ghost. 

"You've seen beyond this kingdom's bounds. Yours is resilience born of two voids. It's no surprise then you've managed to reach the heart of this world. In so doing, you shall know the sacrifice that keeps it standing. If, knowing that truth, you'd still attempt a role in Hallownest's perpetuation, seek the Grave in Ash and the mark it would grant to one like you.

"If not, then your journey ends here, little Ghost." She zipped away and out of eyesight. 


	6. Three Dreamers

Dryya heard a knock on the door to her quarters. "Come in," she said, her voice quiet. 

The White Lady stepped in and looked at Dryya, who was sitting on her bed. Dryya didn't make eye contact as the White Lady said, "Come with me, please." Her voice wasn't stern, nor did it boom with authority like it previously had. It was gentle once more.

Dryya sighed and stood up, still not making eye contact. 

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two as they walked down the halls of the palace. Dryya knew where they were going, the gardens. As they entered the indoor gardens, the White Lady said, "This is my favorite place in the whole palace. Sometimes being here just helps me relax and clear my head." 

"So you've said," Dryya said, admiring the vines and the plants around her. 

"Come, sit," the White Lady said, gesturing to a bench against the wall. Dryya followed her request, sitting down next to the White Lady on the bench. "I think you know what I'm about to say." 

Dryya sighed and said, "I'm sorry for raising my voice at the King. It was very unprofessional of me." 

The White Lady responded with, "I'm not upset because it was unprofessional of you. I'm upset because you're just adding to the flame that is the King's self-doubt." 

Dryya looked down at the floor. 

"He's trying his hardest, Dryya. You have to understand that. He doesn't know what he's doing all the time, but he knows that his kingdom comes first." The White Lady explained. "He's going to do what he can to try and protect it. If that means reasoning with the goddess, then so be it." 

"I-I just can't understand the thought of reasoning with a goddess, your majesty." Dryya said. "Why not just try and kill her?" 

The White Lady sighed and said, "Because it's not that easy, Dryya. You can't just _kill_ a goddess. Even if we defeat her in combat in the Dream Realm, as long as someone remembers her, she'll still be around within that memory." 

Dryya remained silent, processing the information she was given. 

"Please try to understand, Dryya. He's dealing with a lot right now, and it's taking its toll on him," the White Lady pleaded.

Dryya's voice was small as she replied, "Yes your majesty." 

~~~

Ghost had been exploring the city for a couple of days. They went down every walkway, across every bridge, and explored even the highest points of the city. Hornet's words still rang out in their head, though. They were confused what she meant by 'seek the grave in ash' but they were determined to find out. 

While Ghost was exploring inside a building called the 'Pleasure House', they came across an incredibly large elevator that went upwards. They struck the lever in the center of the elevator, and it began to ascend. Once they reached the top of the elevator shaft, they exited and began to explore. 

The place they had discovered appeared to be a resting ground of some sort, seeing as there were graves everywhere. Upon further exploration, Ghost discovered a statue with three pillars equidistant from each other. The pillars had faces on them, and Ghost noticed that they matched the three faces on the door within the Black Egg Temple. They walked up to the statue, curious. The statue had a plaque in front of it. It read:

**TO PROTECT THE VESSEL, THE DREAMERS LAY SLEEPING.**

**Monomon the Teacher  
In her Archive surrounded by fog and mist.**

**Lurien the Watcher  
In his Spire, looking over the city.**

**Herrah the Beast  
In her Den, amidst the deep darkness beyond this kingdom.**

**THROUGH THEIR DEVOTION, HALLOWNEST LASTS ETERNAL.**

Ghost wasn't sure what to make of the statue until suddenly an explosion of light erupted from them. 

_'Go no further little shadow.'_

_'What compels it to climb out of the darkness? What compels its return to this sacred kingdom?'_

_'A call from beyond the Seals? By the Vessel, or by that captive light?'_

_'Would the Seals break?'_

_'They cannot be undone.'_

_'But the Vessel weakens. That plague springs anew. They must be undone.'_

_'Yet still our Seals remain. Our duty holds.'_

_'It must be cast away.'_

_'Our duty holds. It shall be done.'_

Ghost was hearing voices in their head, and they weren't sure where they were coming from. They were getting an intense pain in their head as three ghostly figures with the same faces on the pillars appeared in front of him. Ghost was suddenly suspended midair, there were particles that resembled dream catchers flowing into their body. Their vision was being overtaken by a blinding white light and they couldn't move. They felt trapped. 

_'Fade away, little shadow.'_

_'Fade away, and let us sleep in peace.'_

The voices returned to utter those last lines. 

~~~

Ghost woke up on a small, floating platform. They took a while to stand up, their head still throbbed with pain. As they stood, they observed their surroundings. There were clouds everywhere around them, a brilliant shine of light peered through a gap in the clouds. As they observed the platform they were standing on, a bright, translucent figure that resembled a moth appeared into view. They said nothing, but when they flew away, smaller platforms appeared. Ghost jumped from platform to platform, following the moth. Every once in a while, Ghost would come across a large platform, one with architecture similar to that of Hallownest. They noticed there were incredibly large dream catcher-shaped particles hiding partially behind the clouds. As the journey from platform to platform continued, the pain in Ghost's head slowly faded away. The moth finally stopped on a long platform, they floated above it and waited for Ghost to come up to them. As Ghost walked to them, they said, 

"What a terrible fate they've visited upon you. To cast you in this place between body and soul. Will you accept their judgement and fade away slowly? Or will you take the weapon before you, and cut your way out of this sad, forgotten dream?" 

The moth figure faded away, and in their place appeared an object that resembled a nail, but it had incredibly intricate designs all over the blade. It was also glowing, and had a dream catcher appearing design above the handle and below the blade. As they took the weapon, dream catcher particles erupted from them, and their vision began to fade into white once more. As they slowly woke up again in the real world, they heard the sounds of an old feminine voice behind them. 

~~~

"How did your talk with the queen go?" Ogrim asked Dryya, who was returning to the knights' shared quarters. 

"Well, she didn't yell at me the way she had in the conference hall," Dryya said, sighing. 

"What'd she say?" Isma asked, curious. 

"She told me of how this situation is from the King's perspective," Dryya explained. "She told me to understand what this is like for him, and how it's infinitely more stressful for him because it's _his_ kingdom on the line." 

"That makes sense," Ze'mer said.

Dryya sighed and flopped down on her bed. "Ze'mer, are you still seeing that mantis woman?" She asked to make conversation. 

"I wish I could. I long to see her once more, to let her know I love her once more. Being in this palace is preventing me from seeing her, and it's painful." Ze'mer's foreign accent was prevalent throughout her sad voice. 

"If you want to sneak away from the palace, we won't tell anyone," Dryya said, smiling at Ze'mer. 

"I-I don't know. It's my duty to be here." Ze'mer said. 

"You could use a break," Isma chimed in. "We all could, but if you have someone you love out there, go and see them." 

"Would you guys be able to keep this a secret from the King?" Ze'mer asked, hopeful. 

"Absolutely," Ogrim said, positivity behind his voice. 

"Thank you guys so much, this means a lot to me," Ze'mer said, standing up and going over to the door. "I promise I'll return before tomorrow." 

"Just go, don't keep her waiting," Dryya said, smiling as Ze'mer left. 

"Wow, Dryya. I think that's the first smile I've seen out of you since you were a child," Isma said, chuckling slightly. 

Dryya sighed and ignored Isma. "Goodnight," she said, covering the lumafly lantern that illuminated the room with a cloth, showering the room in darkness. 

~~~

The White Lady knocked on the door to the Pale King's workshop. When she didn't hear a response, she went in anyways. She found the King asleep at his desk. She felt sad, seeing how his arms had gotten skinnier in the past couple of days. He hadn't been eating again, stressed after Dryya yelled at him in the conference room a few days ago. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and shook him gently awake. He groaned a little bit, so she knew he was alive at least, and he said, "What are you doing here?" with a groggy voice. 

"I'm saving you, come on. Let's go to bed," the Queen said, trying to pull him out of his chair. 

"I still have work to do..." his words were trailing and he was clearly tired. 

"Your work shouldn't come before your own well being. This isn't the first time I've told you this, dear." She put a hand on his shoulder as she spoke, her voice full of concern. "You can't forget to sleep or eat." 

"I don't have time to sleep or eat. The infection is spreading faster than we know it and I can't just do nothing about it!" The King had raised his tired voice, tears were forming in his eyes. "I dont want to fail my kingdom. There are people counting on me to fix this." 

The White Lady embraced him as she said, "And I'm counting on you to stay alive. You can't do that without eating or sleeping." He was crying still. "Please, just come to bed," she pleaded.

Eventually, his tears stopped flowing and he said, "Alright, you win." 

"Thank you," she said, loosening her embrace on the King. She kissed him on the forehead before leading him to their bedroom. 


	7. Lost Kin

"Ah. Welcome back to the living world," an old, feminine voice said behind Ghost as they slowly rose to their feet. They turned around and saw an elderly moth woman sitting down before them. "They tried to cast you away, but you were able to free yourself from the realm between body and soul with that weapon, the Dream Nail."

Ghost tilted their head in confusion.

"The weapon you now hold will allow you to travel between realms, Dream and Nightmare alike. The blade also can be used to peer into one's deepest inner thoughts," She explained as Ghost examined the intricate, glowing blade in their hands. "I originally speculated that it would be dull, but it appears to be as sharp as ever, already able to cut into even the most secluded of minds."

Ghost pointed their small arm out and towards the moth in front of them, again tilting their head in confusion.

The moth laughed slightly and said, "You're curious to who I am?"

Ghost nodded.

"I am the Seer, the last moth to still exist. My tribe was destroyed years ago, our fate caught up with us in due time," she said, a look of regret streaking across her aged face.

Ghost was still confused but didn't want to question any further.

"My tribe for ages has searched for one like you. One who will wield the Nail with grace and elegance," she said, a glimpse of hope coming to her voice. "Maybe you can be the one who seals the blinding light that plagues this kingdom. Her reign of anger, although justified, is one of terror and turmoil. It must be put to a stop; she must be put to rest."

Ghost was more confused than ever when she said this.

"Go forth, wielder. Pry into the minds of others, explore their thoughts and put a stop to the light that blinds their dreams," she said. "Return to me once your task is complete."

Ghost bowed and walked out, waving as they left. They were still confused but figured that if they could read the thoughts of others, they'd understand eventually what she meant.

~~~

"Has she returned yet?" Isma asked Dryya, worried. It had been a couple of days since Ze'mer had left and she hadn't yet returned. The Pale King hadn't noticed yet, but he would eventually.

"No not yet," Dryya said, forlorn. "I'm worried."

"As am I. It's been days, do you think she ran away with her lover?" Ogrim asked.

"It's possible. She isn't weak as she may appear, she could hold her own in a fight," Isma explained. "It's plausible that they ran away together."

"Should we attempt in searching for them?" Dryya asked.

"I think we should," Isma said, looking to Ogrim, waiting for his response.

"I agree, but we should tell the King at least," Ogrim said.

"He's in his workshop, if you want to attempt a conversation with him I won't hold you back," Dryya said.

"Should we tell the White Lady then?" Ogrim asked. "We have to let them know that we're leaving."

"I can tell her," Dryya said. "I'll go and find her, you two stay here. When I get back, we'll leave." Her voice had a determination and drive behind it. She quickly walked towards the indoor gardens, assuming that the queen would be there. Her assumptions were correct as she walked in and saw the Queen tending to some pale flowers. The Queen noticed her entry and stood up to speak with Dryya.

"Hello Dryya, what brings you here?" The Queen asked.

"Ze'mer has been missing for three days and the rest of the knights and I wish to go and search for her," her voice was frantic and desperate. "I am here simply to inform you of our departure."

"You didn't tell us of this sooner? When did she leave?" The Queen asked.

"She left the night of the conference, she wanted to go and see her lover," Dryya said. "She promised us she'd return before morning the next day."

"We'll send a search party out for her, but you three will stay here." The Queen said. "We already lost one knight years ago, we can't afford to lose anymore."

~~~

Now that Ghost had obtained the Dream Nail, they could see the ghostly memories of those long passed. Some knew of their fate, others were oblivious to it. Some of the faint memories were those of warriors. Ghost challenged these warriors, once they were defeated, Ghost would release them fully to the afterlife, not wanting them to linger in between realms any longer. They felt a power surge through their blade of dreams as they explored deeper throughout the kingdom. They had been exploring throughout the city and found something they didn't the first time they explored there. There was a large elevator shaft, the elevator itself had crashed down at the bottom. Ghost cautiously descend, feeling a strange pull as they got further and further down. It was as if something inside them was telling them they were going the right direction. They kept going, fighting off mindless guards and acrobatically making their way down the elevator shaft.

They reached the bottom and exited the shaft, finding themself in a large cavern. The floor was covered in writhing creature with spikes all over their body, but there were pillars jutting out of the ground that Ghost could use to traverse the tunnel. There were more winged guards, but Ghost fended them off with relative ease. They made their way over, and at the end of the cavern, there was a hole. Ghost studied it and could tell it wasn't made naturally. There were structures and designs surrounding the hole. Ghost jumped down into the hole.

When they fell through, they landed on a platform not long after jumping down. They looked around and saw that grey was a common color in the area they had just found themselves in. They looked around and saw critters crawling up on the walls, mindlessly. They weren't bothering Ghost, so they left them alone as they kept searching. They eventually came upon a toll machine with a symbol of a bench on it. They paid the 150 geo required, and a bench came out of the ground in the toll machine's place. Ghost took the opportunity to rest. They hadn't gotten much of a chance to sit down after their encounter with the Seer, so they enjoyed the brief moment they were allowed. After a couple of minutes, they pressed onwards to see what there was.

As they were approaching the end of the cavern they were in, they noticed a strange wind begin to chill them. It picked up in speed as they went further into the cavern. Ghost noticed diminutive bugs of a luminescent orange color scurry away from Ghost as they got close, their tiny feet pattering across the ground. They were slightly weirded out by the small insects but didn't think much of it as they continued their way down the cavern.

Ghost came across another opening, and with nowhere else to go, they descended. The pit they found themself in had only one way ahead. As they walked forwards, they came across a large creature with giant teeth and an open mouth at the top of it. The creature began to spit large bubbles of an orange substance. Ghost found out that it burned to the touch the hard way when one landed on them. They were quick to work their way past the creature and continue, only to be met with more of the large creatures.

As Ghost made their way past all of the large creatures, they found a way out of the pit they were in, making their way into another foreign cavern. As they climbed up, they saw a wall that was being held up by wooden planks, which they were quick to cut down. They saw that the wall led to the top of the pit with the large creatures, and they were happy that there was now a shortcut accessible to them.

They continued onwards, walking into a large room. The exit to the room was covered in large orange pustules, and as Ghost went to leave out the way they came, the entrance was also covered, blocking Ghost inside. They closely examined the pustules and saw the tiny orange insects from earlier writhing around inside them. They heard the sounds of pattering again and turned to find the source. Ghost didn't notice earlier, but there was a cadaver at the end of the room, a large hole in their shell. Studying closer, Ghost realized that the cadaver had the same physical structure they did. Ghost was shocked by this revelation. Their examination of the corpse was brought to a quick halt when the orange insects began to crawl inside the hole in the top of its shell. They watched in horror as the bugs began to take over the body, infecting it. The eyes of the empty shell began to glow a luminescent orange, and a large sack formed around the bugs inside the shell and jutted out of the top of the body's head.

Ghost was disgusted when the bugs were able to make the body stand, and readied themself for a fight once the vessel with a broken shell grabbed their nail. They didn't want to fight the broken vessel, but they were left with no choice when its body began to fail the nail into the air. Ghost could tell the parasitic creatures had no idea how to control the body, so Ghost was able to out-maneuver them with relative ease. Ghost got behind the broken vessel and slashed its back, knocking it to the ground. It quickly stood up and lunged towards Ghost. Ghost jumped over it, but when they landed they saw the broken vessel shaking its head violently, punching itself in the face. An internal struggle was obvious, and it became obvious the vessel wasn't dead before it got taken over. Ghost pushed that thought out of their mind as the broken vessel began to launch orange blobs across the arena. Ghost managed to dodge most of them, but one made contact with Ghost's shell, leaving Ghost with searing pain.

The fight was longer than Ghost had anticipated. Even though the bugs controlling the vessel's body hadn't the slightest clue how to wield a nail, they managed to land a few good hits on Ghost with their orange blobs. Ghost was getting tired, and noticed the internal struggle once again. The vessel seemed to try and slow its own actions, resisting the movement of the parasitic insects within its shell. Determined to keep the vessel alive, Ghost quickly ran behind it and cut open the sack where the insects were hiding. The bugs began to pour out of it and the vessel dropped to its knees, then onto its face. As a last-ditch attempt, Ghost grabbed hold of the sack and pulled. After a large struggle, they managed to remove the sack completely from the vessel's broken shell. The orange bugs scurried away as Ghost knelt down to the vessel's side, flipping them over onto their back quickly. Ghost felt some sort of connection while looking into the vessel's eyes, a connection they hadn't felt in a long time, but they knew they had felt it before. The broken vessel seemed to feel it too. They tried to sit up but found it rather difficult. A black substance leaked out of their eyes, tears of Void. They didn't want to die, but they knew it was coming for them soon.

Ghost leaped up to their feet and grabbed a longleaf off of a plant nearby, wrapping it around the broken vessel's skull in an attempt to patch the hole. Ghost was getting desperate to save their sibling, they wanted to know of their past, but more than that they wanted to keep their only family they knew of alive. They had been lonely outside the kingdom for an incredibly long time, and now that they had some familial connection with this vessel, Ghost wasn't going to let them die. Void tears of their own were starting to form as they tried anything and everything to help the broken vessel to their feet. It was to no avail, the broken vessel could do no more than lift their head and arms off of the ground.

The tears of void were streaking further down Ghost's face as their desperation grew more and more intense. The broken vessel had accepted its fate, knowing they wouldn't make it out of the room alive. They grabbed Ghost's hand and looked into their tearful eyes. The broken vessel saw emotion behind their hollow eyes that was invisible to everyone else. The broken vessel looked over to Ghost's nail that resided on their back, then back into their eyes and nodded. Ghost was shocked by their suggestion and violently shook their head. They weren't going to let the broken vessel die. The broken vessel gave them a look of thanks with their eyes, one that Ghost was able to pick up on. Even without words, they could understand each other. After giving their look of thanks, the broken vessel summoned the strength to sit upright and embrace Ghost. Ghost was tearful still, but wrapped their arms around their sibling, crying still all the while. The broken vessel wrapped their arms around Ghost as well, enjoying the hug for quite some time. Tears started to form into the broken vessel's eyes, and they looked at Ghost with apologetic eyes.

Ghost was confused, wondering why they were apologizing, until they suddenly made a realization. Their nail was no longer on their back, but in the broken vessel's hands. All at once, the broken vessel drove the nail into their pitch-black chest. Ghost's tears returned quickly as they reached for their sibling while their carapace fell to the ground. Ghost rushed to be beside them once more, unsure of what to do. They were being frantic, trying to think of any way to heal the broken vessel until the broken vessel grabbed their hand. The two vessels made eye contact, tears streaming down both sets of hollow eyes. The broken vessel's grip was light as they looked each other in the eye. The broken vessel nodded, making the tears stream down Ghost's face even harder. Ghost sadly shook their head in response. They didn't want to be alone again, they didn't want to lose the family they just gained, most of all they wanted to scream, but couldn't. The broken vessel cupped the side of Ghost's shell in their hand, they nodded again. Ghost could only cry as the grip on their hand faded away. They were violently lamenting over the corpse of their now-dead sibling, void leaking out of their chest. They couldn't bring themselves to stand, they couldn't bring themselves to walk. They were overcome with grief. Ghost was crying hard as they removed their nail from their sibling's chest, void spilling out into a big puddle on the ground.

Eventually, Ghost stood up shakily. They saw that the exit that was once covered with orange pustules when they entered was now clear, so they stepped through to see what the rest of this forsaken cavern had to offer. Still shaken up, their reaction time was much slower and their ability to focus their soul to heal themself was taking much longer than it normally did. Ghost managed to find a large statue at the very end of the cavern. Around the tunnel were small winged creatures, pale in color. Ghost saw there was a large glowing orb in front of the statue, and when they reached out to touch it they were immediately suspended into mid-air. As they were in the air, they felt something light attach to their back, and they looked to see what it was. There was a translucent pair of wings attached to them. As they fell back to the ground, they went to examine their back, but they noticed the wings were out of sight.

Confused, Ghost made their way back the direction they came. While they were traversing, they tried jumping to get onto a platform that was too high to climb upon. They fell down, unsuccessful in their first attempt. They tried jumping once more, and as they were mid-air, they felt the wings spring out and boost them onto the platform. They were astonished, but continued on their way towards the room with the broken cadaver. They were filled with sadness once more.

As they entered the room in which they fought the broken vessel, they noticed that there were dream catcher particles daintily floating above their cadaver. Ghost walked up to examine it, and all at once a ghostly figure appeared above the body. It was the broken vessel's ghost, but they weren't broken anymore. Their spirit was able to show what they looked like before their shell was broken. Ghost saw this and got teary-eyed once more. The broken vessel looked down at their teary-eyed sibling and put their hand out to wipe their tears away. They looked into Ghost's eyes, letting them know they were okay and wanted to move on. They placed a hand on Ghost's shoulder before once again nodding.

This time, Ghost nodded as well and struck their sibling with their Dream Nail. The ghost of their broken sibling was satisfied, and faded away slowly, leaving Ghost alone once again. As they walked out of the room, they had black tears streaming out of their eyes and onto the ground, making small splashing sounds.


	8. The Grave in Ash

"Any luck finding her?" Dryya asked the Queen. It had been more than a week since Ze'mer had gone missing, and Dryya was discussing it with the White Lady at the conference table. "We've searched everywhere, there hasn't been a sign of either of them. We asked the mantis lords where they could've gone, but they explained how her father, the fourth lord, had betrayed them. They were banished to a secluded part of Greenpath. They have no idea where she could've gone." 

Dryya looked worried, her eyes were tired. "We can search, your majesty." 

"We need you to do your duties here, Dryya. You know that," the White Lady said, placing a hand on her shoulder. The White Lady saw the look of concern that streaked across Dryya's face. "I know you want to look for her. I know you two are good friends, but we need you here." 

"I know," Dryya said, looking at the ground. Changing topics of conversation, Dryya asked, "How's the king been?"

The White Lady was surprised at the sudden shift in conversation but said, "He's been much better. I've been forcing him out into the real world for once instead of boarding himself up in the workshop," she explained. 

"Has he been eating properly?" Dryya asked. 

"He has actually," The White Lady said, shifting in her chair. 

"Well that's at least some good news, should we expect to hear from him soon?" Dryya asked. 

"I don't know, in all honesty. He's been thinking again to _that_ day," the White Lady said. Dryya knew which day she was talking about immediately. "He still calls himself a monster." 

"He did what he had to do, there's nothing monstrous about that," Dryya said, trying to lighten the Queen's mood. 

"What he had to do was monstrous, but he didn't do it alone." The Queen said, looking forlornly across the room at nothing in particular. "He wasn't the only monster that day." 

~~~

Ghost was exploring the place they had come to know as the Ancient Basin, or at least that's what Cornifer had called it. While they were exploring, they had come across a large door at the bottom of a cavern. The door had a large symbol on it, it had a large downwards facing spike at the bottom of the symbol, and four upwards facing spikes at the top of the symbol. They walked closer to the door, the symbol glowing as they approached. The door confused them, so they decided to come back later when they figured out its purpose. Ghost had wanted to return to the city for a while, the dark depths of the Ancient Basin were getting to be too depressing, especially after their interaction with the broken vessel. 

As they made their way back to the city, they remembered Hornet's words by the fountain. They were determined to understand what she meant by "seek the grave in ash", so they did the thing they were best at, and went to explore. 

They went into the King's station, and after looking around they found a small hole in the wall of a broken-down stagway station. The stagway station had been flooded, so they had to swim to get through the hole in the wall. 

They eventually made their way into a large cavern that went upwards and downwards a considerable length. There was nothing much special about the cavern other than that dead bugs would often fall from above, so they decided that they would go down first. Once they were down, they saw piles of ash on the ground, and figured they were in the right place as they kept heading forward. 

They explored around, seeing what there was to be seen. They kept exploring, eventually finding a hidden bench within a tent. They had to break open a wall to be able to find it, but once they did they took the opportunity to rest as soon as they could. Their legs were incredibly tired and they needed to sit down and rest. Once they felt refreshed again, they continued exploring. They eventually came across a large chasm that went downwards. As they descended, they felt a strong gust of wind coming from the chasm. Once they reached the bottom, they walked into an open room, the wind blowing harder than ever. 

"So you'd seek the further truth? Know that it isn't one the weak could bear," Hornet's voice rang out. Ghost turned around to see her with her needle and thread at the ready. "Prove that you're strong enough to know of this kingdom's past, and claim responsibility for its future." 

All at once, Hornet lunged at Ghost, needle pointed towards them. Ghost dodged them and pulled out their nail as she said, "Just know that I will feel no sadness in a weakling's demise." 

Ghost readied their nail and took their turn to lunge at Hornet, slashing her as they dashed by. Hornet was able to parry the attack and follow up with one of her own, jumping high into the air and coming back down at Ghost. The two combatants expertly dodged and attacked each other for quite some time. Hornet had landed a few good hits on Ghost, but for the most part Ghost had the upper hand. 

Ghost ran at Hornet and threw their nail at her. She deflected it and the nail went flying towards the other side of the arena. Without thinking, Ghost used their Dream Nail as a weapon, but when they struck Hornet, her voice rang out inside Ghost's head, _'They are stronger than the others have been. Maybe this one can bring the change this kingdom is starved of.'_

Ghost was able to read Hornet's thoughts, and tried using that to their advantage. They were eventually able to predict Hornet's moves before she made them, and they managed to retrieve their nail in no time. Ghost turned around after picking up the nail and gave a hard and quick slash across Hornet's chest, knocking her to the ground. 

When she stood back up, she yielded. "So strong. You could do it if you had the will," She zipped off, clearly injured. Ghost saw the exit to the room open up and they left, going down to the source of the wind. 

They had discovered the corpse of an incredibly large bug. It was very long and had little to no limbs. Ghost made their way inside the corpse, the wind was incredibly strong, pushing them away from whatever was at the back of the cadaver. They continued to push through, finding their way to the very back of the corpse. At the back, there was a hatched egg. Ghost reached out to touch the egg, and when they did they felt a burning sensation all over their body. 

It was an intense pain that only lasted for a few seconds, and once the pain was over Ghost felt different. They looked at their hand and saw a symbol burned into the back of their hand. Ghost realized it was the same symbol as the one on the door in the Ancient Basin, so they immediately turned to leave. As they left, the ceiling began to collapse. They were at a full sprint on their way out, but they weren't fast enough. The ceiling fell on them and they were pinned. 

They felt someone grab their carapace, pulling them out of the pile of ash that surrounded them. Once they were free, they saw who their savior was. It was Hornet. Before Ghost could do anything to express thanks, she zipped away. 

A look of determination crossed Ghost's face as he made his way back to the capital city, and back into the Ancient Basin. The journey was long and arduous, but they eventually made it back to the mysterious door with the symbol on it. They walked up to the door, and put the hand that had the symbol burned into it on the door. All at once, the door cracked in half and was opened. Ghost went in, curious. They made their way to the bottom, and looked on in horror at what they found.

~~~

The White Lady and Dryya were still at the conference table, conversing. Ogrim and Isma had joined their conversation, due to the lack of anything better to do. Their conversation was quickly interrupted by the King bursting in suddenly and saying frantically, "The door to the Abyss has been opened." 


	9. Forgotten Family

"What?" The White Lady asked, standing up quickly. 

"The door. It's been opened," The Pale King said. 

"How do you know?" Dryya asked, standing up as well. 

"I felt it. The power holding the door closed was broken," the Pale King said. 

"Should we go and investigate?" Ogrim asked. 

"The White Lady and I will go, I don't want you three to see what happened down there," the Pale King said, gesturing towards the White Lady for her to follow him. 

The two higher beings quickly walked down the halls of the palace, concerned. The sounds of their footsteps reverberated off of the walls. 

~~~

Ghost looked around and was disgusted at what they saw. The floor in the pit they were in was made out of dead and empty skulls. As they continued exploring, a being that was entirely black rose from the ground and angrily lashed out at Ghost. Ghost was able to dodge their attacks, and when they examined the being more, they saw that their anatomy matched Ghost's but just without their shell. Ghost made a horrible realization looking at empty shells on the ground once more. They realized they were standing on the empty heads of their siblings. 

Ghost was appalled, but continues onwards. They eventually made their way out of the pit of skulls and onwards. They pressed further, finding themselves in an incredibly open cavern. There was an incredibly large lake of a black substance, and a large tower that spiraled upwards. As they made their way up the exterior of the tower, there were more entirely black beings that angrily lashed out at Ghost. Ghost made their way upwards, and once they got to the top they went inside. 

They saw a large lever, connected to a light, and a dead bug dressed in all-white robes laying next to the lever. Ghost struck the lever, and turned on the light connected to it. A large beam of light came out of it and spread over the black lake like a blanket. Ghost went outside and saw that the black floating beings were all gone, vanished. They made their way down the lighthouse, and were able to make their way across the caliginous lake. 

On the other side of the lake, they found themselves in a aphotic cavern. The cavern had twists and turns, making Ghost double back quite frequently. They finally came across a large room. In the large room there was a statue of a large, round bug that four limbs. Two of which were being used to hold a bowl in the air. In the bowl there was a black substance, similar to the substance that comprised the tenebrific lake outside. 

Ghost felt a strange pull within them, telling them to get in the bowl. The sudden compel to get into the bowl was offputting, but they obliged and sat in the black liquid dripping from the bowl. As soon as they got in, they felt different. They attempted to move, but found themselves unable. After squirming around in the viscous black liquid, they managed to break free and regain mobility. As they were about to get out, they suddenly felt something inside them. 

They felt something strange, like a power that was building up inside them. The feeling grew more and more intense until eventually Ghost's shell turned black and their eyes white. They had large tendrils coming out of them, writhing around. Ghost's body felt like it was on fire, and their panicked confusion didn't help. They weren't sure what was happening to them, and they didn't like it. 

But as soon as it had started, it was over. Ghost's shell returned to normal and the feeling dimmed down, but never went away. Ghost made their way back to the pit they came from, ascending out of the abyss. They were halfway up when they heard voices at the top. 

"Who opened the door?" It was a female voice. 

"I don't know, but chances are they're inside." There was a male voice as well. "We'll have to execute them, the public mustn't know of what happened down here."

As Ghost reached the platform at the top, they saw who the voices belonged to. In front of him stood a small figure with spikes coming out the top of his head, and a large figure with roots coming off the top of her head. They were both pale in color. 

The two figures gasped when they saw Ghost. "One survived?" the female voice asked. 

"How?" the male voice asked, confusion and exasperation behind his tired voice.

Ghost finished climbing up onto the platform, and when they were on their feet they stood to face the two figures. Ghost tilted their head in confusion, wondering who these people were. 

"Oh little one, you must've been so scared down there all this time," said the female voice. She stepped forward towards Ghost which made them step backwards and pull out their nail. 

"They have a weapon," the male figure said. "They must've escaped this hole at some point." 

The female figure turned to Ghost and asked, "Is this true?" 

Ghost grabbed their nail and began to etch the words 'Who are you?' into the ground. 

~~~

The White Lady looked at the message transcribed into the ground. "They have literary skills as well," she told the Pale King.

"They clearly have spent time outside of this kingdom," he concluded. The child in front of them nodded when he said this. 

The White Lady and Pale King didn't know how to handle the situation. The White Lady looked over at her lover and saw tears forming in his eyes as he said, "I failed. Every aspect of this plan failed." 

The child tilted their head in confusion. 

"Oh, young one. If only you knew," said the Pale King with forlorn. 

The child was growing more and more skeptical of the White Lady and the Pale King, and aggressively pointed to the question they had wrote on the ground, clearly wanting an answer. 

The White Lady looked at the child with sad eyes and said, "We're... We're your parents, young one. You were born in this pit." 

The child staggered back, confusion took over their thoughts. They thought they didn't have parents. They had been alone their entire life. They spent their entire life outside of this kingdom, only to find out they were born here. 

"This must be confusing for you, child. We understand that, and we want to help you," the White Lady's voice sounded motherly. 

The child clearly didn't trust her words as they backed up further. 

The White Lady became teary-eyed as she said, "We... we're sorry, child. For everything." 

The child was more confused then ever, and they were clutching their head, processing her words. They continued to back up until they suddenly felt there was no more ground beneath them. They were panicked as they realized they were falling off of the platform. 

Without wasting a second, the Pale King mustered up enough speed to catch the child before they fell to their death. As the child looked up at the Pale King, he said, "I let too many fall that day. No more," he had tears still, but he looked at his child and smiled. "A mind, free to think. A will, free to act. No voice, but emotions to communicate. Born of God and Void. You don't have to seal the blinding light anymore. You are a vessel, but you are not the Hollow Knight." 


	10. Forgiveness

Ghost was cradled in the White Lady's arms as she carried them back to the palace. Ghost wanted to walk, but they realized how tired they truly were when they were carried by their mother. They didn't feel like a child, having lived in the Wilds for fifteen years, but they knew they still were one. The Pale King stayed behind in the abyss, needing to see it for himself. 

As he made his way to the bottom, his tears came back to him. Seeing all of the empty vessels covering the floor made him incredibly sad. He kneeled down and picked up one of the skulls on the ground. It was tiny and had a singular horn protruding out of its head. The Pale King remembered what happened to it, how it was the first one he threw off. 

"I'm sorry," he tearfully whispered, clutching the skull and holding it close to his chest. "I thought it would work." 

A shade rose out of the ground next to him, it too had a singular small horn protruding out of its head. The shade was not angry, they did not lash out at the Pale King. They saw the King lamenting and came up behind them, nuzzling up to their father. 

The King was surprised and turned to see the shade. His tears fell harder as the shade grabbed their father's hands. The two embraced and the Pale King's tears wouldn't stop falling. "Can you re-enter your shell?" He asked. 

The small shade sadly shook their head. 

"I'm so sorry, young one. What I did was unforgivable, and I hate myself for it," he said forlornly. 

The shade hugged their father once more before disappearing into the ground. The Pale King decided he had seen all he needed, and went to return to the palace.

~~~

"Do you know the reason for which you were born?" The White Lady asked Ghost in the White Palace. She was showing them to a guest bedroom they had. Ghost shook their head. The White Lady sighed. "Over a decade ago, a terrible plague befell this kingdom. It took the lives of many, and the King was desperate for an immediate solution. His idea was to create an entirely hollow being, one with no emotions or free will. This hollow vessel would take the infection and hold it within themselves for the rest of their lives, allowing the kingdom to return to normal. If you couldn't tell by now, that didn't happen.

"The Hollow Knight was chosen, but they were flawed. They're currently suffering in the Black Egg temple, being tortured by the goddess from which the infection came from. We don't know why the goddess created and deployed such a terrible infection, but we're doing our damnedest to fight it." 

Ghost looked at the ground, processing the information that the White Lady just explained. They were full of conflicting emotions, but the most prevalent one was anger. They looked around for something to write on but found nothing. 

"Are you looking for something, dear?" The White Lady asked. 

Ghost nodded, making a writing motion in the air to try and tell her that they wanted to write something down. She quickly understood, "I'll go get some parchment and a quill, wait here please." 

When she returned, she handed Ghost the writing utilities. They bowed as a sign of thanks and began writing. 

_"Am I hollow?"_ was their first question. 

"No, you're teeming with emotion and life, and you have a free will of your own," she answered. 

_"How many of my kind were born just to die?"_

The White Lady looked shameful. "Too many." 

_"I was born without a voice, without a will, and without emotions, because the King thought his asinine plan would work?"_

She sighed. "Yes. But you've grown a free will, and you've grown emotions." 

_"Is the King aware of how many of us escaped the abyssal pit he threw us in?"_

The Queen could clearly see Ghost's anger. "I guess not. How many?" 

_"I've come across at least two, but there have to be more."_

"Well, we don't really have the time or the resources to look for them, young one. You were lucky we even found you at all," she said. 

_"Why would he give us life, just to be empty and suffer?"_

"I know this is difficult for you to understand. He hates himself for doing such a thing, so do I, but we can't go back on what's done." 

_"I spent fifteen years in the Wilds, and when I come back to this kingdom I find out I was born here, and that I have siblings and parents here. I thought I was alone all my life."_

The White Lady put a hand on Ghost's shoulder. "I know, and I'm sorry. Words can't make up for the damages done to you, but I hope you can find some meaning in the words I'm telling you." 

Ghost looked up at the White Lady and had void tears streaming down their face. _"I watched a sibling of mine kill themselves with my blade. They had parasitic bugs take over their shell, but they were still aware of what was happening. They tried to stop the bugs from attacking me, and when they succeeded they thought they were done with life, so they took my blade and drove it through their chest. How were they supposed to know they had parents they could've fallen back on if those parents were the ones who threw them in a pit?"_

The White Lady had tears of her own trickling down her cheeks. "I-... I'm sorry. I know those words aren't enough to undo that kind of pain, but right now they're all I can offer." 

Their conversation was interrupted by the Pale King entering the room of the palace they were in. He had a look of forlorn stricken across his face. 

"There you are," the White Lady said. "Why did you stay behind?" 

"I had to give someone a sense of closure, but I don't know who it was for," he said, not making eye contact. 

His words confused both the White Lady and Ghost. The Pale King walked over to where the Ghost was sitting and looked down at the words on the parchment. 

"I've put you through a lot, more than most people would be able to survive going through," he said, looking down at his angry child. "A wise woman once told me, 'the strongest people experience the world's worst', and now I'm telling you that. I don't expect you to forgive me for what I've done to you, I know I wouldn't. But I'm asking you to understand why I did what I did," he said with minimal inflection on his voice. 

"I'm not saying what I did to you was acceptable by any means. My actions were abhorrent and abysmal, but I'm saying that they've made you one of the strongest people I've ever met." 

Ghost took his words into account, thinking about them from the King's point of view. They had never thought of it that way, but quickly began to see the flaws in the Pale King's thinking. Yes, they were stronger, but they were also sadder and emotionally confused. 

Ghost stood up, deciding that they weren't going to stay in the palace. 

"Where are you going, young one?" The White Lady asked. 

They grabbed the parchment and wrote, _"I can't stay here."_

"Why not?" The Pale King asked. 

Ghost didn't write anything else down, instead just walking away and out of the palace, away from their unforgivable parents. 

_Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I've been caught up with school and Civil War. I'm gonna try and update this more, but updates as a whole might be slower due to life stuff. I'll try my hardest to make time to write, but I do have to take time and focus on school and work. Thanks for understanding!_

_-Avocado (aka munch)_


	11. Among Higher Beings

Ghost's head was clouded with emotion, and they were drowning in confusion. They couldn't get the image of their father out of their head, how he abandoned them at birth but then saved them from death only hours ago. The juxtaposition in their mind was consuming their thoughts, and their internal struggle was clearly visible externally. As they wandered the streets of the capital city, they heard the sound of someone landing on the ground behind them. They turned to see Hornet; her maroon cloak was soaking wet from the rain.

"I see the scars left by the past have reopened themselves," she said. "You now know of your conception and the tragedy that lays behind it."

Ghost nodded.

"I'm terribly sorry that such a fate befell a being such as yourself, young one," she began. "But we do not get to choose fate nor can we change it. My advice to you would be to move on and accept it as part of your life. The events that transpired in the past will stay in the past if you let them; you do not have to bring them with you wherever you go."

Ghost looked at the ground, their mind running a mile a minute. Eventually, they regained eye contact with Hornet and nodded.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" She asked.

Ghost nodded again.

"Then go. Go and tell your parents how it is you feel," she said. "Go and forgive them, as they have yet to forgive themselves. Go and take your place amongst the Higher Beings."

"Go and be royalty, Ghost of Hallownest."

~~~

"I really am terrible," the Pale King said to himself. He was sitting where Ghost had sat, reading over the paper that they had used to communicate with the White Lady. "There are others that escaped like them? One of them killed themselves because they thought they were alone?" He seemed overwhelmed.

"Dear, there's no way we could have possibly known this. If this child hadn't received the mark of the king in the cast-off shell, then not even they would have been found by us," the White Lady said, trying to comfort the Pale King in any way she could.

"There are others..." he whispered to himself. "There _were_ others..."

The White Lady was at a loss for words. She had no idea how to help him, so she sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He began shaking, his tears splashing on the ground. They sat together for a long moment, the White Lady still making a last-ditch attempt to comfort the Pale King. Their attentions were both grabbed by a door being opened behind them. 

Ghost walked in and felt both of their parents' stares hit them. The Pale King turned his gaze away from his child and said, "I'm sorry." 

Ghost stepped in further, and without hesitation walked into the indoor garden. The King and Queen were understandably confused, but they saw the child walk out of the garden holding three delicate flowers. Ghost handed one to the White Lady, and one to the Pale King. 

"What are these for, child?" The White Lady asked. 

Ghost didn't write a response, instead gestured for them to follow. They stood up and did so, following the child out of the palace. 

They continued following the child into the Ancient Basin. 

"Where are we going?" The Pale King asked. 

Ghost made no response, clearly dead set on getting to wherever they were taking their parents. 

Sometime later, Ghost led them into a room with great orange pustules lining the walls. In the center of the room lay a dead bug with a broken shell. 

The King and Queen watched as the child knelt down next to the cadaver and put a flower inside the hole in their shell. When Ghost looked back at their parents they saw the void tears streaming down their face. 

Ghost stood and used their nail to etch something into the ground. 

"Sibling." 

The White Lady hung her head and silently made her way over to the cadaver. She too placed a flower within the broken shell. "I'm so sorry child," she said to the dead vessel. 

The Pale King took his turn and walked over next to the White Lady, kneeling down and placing a flower next to the other two. "It shouldn't have ended like this for you," he said. 

Ghost was sitting down on the floor, looking into the distance at nothing. Their thoughts were slow but still jumbled up. The small splash of tears was the only sound in the room that could be heard. 

The Queen went over and sat next to her child. Without saying anything, the White Lady put a hand on Ghost's shoulder. Overwhelm with emotion, Ghost quickly embraced their mother fully, needing comfort. The White Lady smiled at her child and returned the hug.

The Pale King sat down next to them, and without saying anything, used his hand to wipe away Ghost's tears. The Pale King let tears of his own fall and said only one thing:

"Some costs are too great." 

~~~

The Royal Family left the Ancient Basin and made their way back to the palace. Ghost at that point had forgiven their parents for what was done, and felt a weight lift off of their shoulders. They left their past in the room with the broken vessel, and entered the palace with high hopes for the future. 

As they made their way inside the palace, they went back to the piece of paper they used to communicate earlier that day. Ghost only wrote one thing. 

_"Thank you."_

The Pale King looked at the message and then back at Ghost. "It takes a lot of bravery to do what you've done. You're mightier than you look, and I'm proud to call you my child, young one." 

The White Lady asked, "Do you need to get some rest, young one?" 

Ghost hadn't thought of it before, but they were incredibly tired. They nodded slowly. 

"Follow me, I can show you to an empty room you can claim," she said. Ghost nodded and they went off, leaving the Pale King in the common room on his own. He stood up and went to the Three Great Knight's quarters. He knocked on the door and was met with a "come in," that sounded like a tired Dryya. 

"Your majesty," said Ogrim. They were all suddenly alert and stood up. 

"No need for the formality," he said tiredly. "Any news on Ze'mer?" 

"The search parties said that they couldn't find her. They've explored the entire kingdom, your majesty," Isma informed the King. 

"We'll search for another few days, but if nothing is found we'll have to expunge the search parties and focus our efforts elsewhere," said the King. 

"Understood," said Dryya. 

"In other news... We have someone new within our midst," the Pale King said, catching the intrigue of all of the Knights present. "Without our knowledge, a few of the children that lay within the Abyss escaped on the day of their birth. We have found one of them and the White Lady and I have decided to take them into our custody." 

There was a visible surprise across all of the Knight's faces. 

"Dryya, I wish for you to train them the way you did the Hollow Knight," he said. 

"Am I still supposed to make sure they're emotionless?" Dryya asked. 

The Pale King looked her in the eyes. "The opposite. Make sure they know how to utilize their emotions as their greatest strength. Train them harder than you did the Hollow Knight; and especially harder than you trained the daughter of the beast." 

"Yes, your majesty." Dryya bowed. Dryya scarcely remembered the daughter of the beast, known as Hornet. She had trained her years ago, but Hornet didn't make it easy. She kept sneaking out during lessons, and eventually, they both agreed to let her train herself by fighting firsthand outside the palace. After she turned twelve years of age, she left the palace and hasn't been seen since.

"As for the rest of you, don't be shy to introduce yourselves. Make them feel like they have a home here," he said. "They've been through Hell and back, mostly because of me. They need to know they have a safe space here." 

"Yes, your majesty." Ogrim and Isma spoke at the same time. 

"Wonderful. We'll keep searching for Isma, and if she is found with her lover, invite them both to live in the palace," the Pale King said, the slightest hint of a smile was caught by Dryya. The King bowed to the Knights and then left. 

_Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while! I've been sidetracked with Civil War and finishing that because in all honesty, I kind of want that story to be finished. Not to say that I won't be giving it my 100% when it comes to writing, I just also want to move on because I have huge projects planned for the future, I just need to finish these stories first. Anyways, thanks for reading so far, and if you are reading this then I appreciate you._

_-Avocado (aka munch)_


	12. Heartbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THE END SCENE OF THIS CHAPTER IS INCREDIBLY MATURE AND HAS REFERENCES TO TORTURE AND MURDER. PLEASE DON’T READ THE FINAL SCENE IF THAT BOTHERS YOU

"Even with recent events, we mustn't forget about the infection," the Pale King said to the rest of the Great Knights. He had called them into the conference room for another discussion. "It still threatens the entire kingdom." 

"Well, until we find a way into this 'Dream Realm', as you put it, then we can't really do much of anything," said Dryya. 

Ghost had gotten up and was wandering the halls of the palace, attempting to fully understand the layout when he heard voices coming from behind a large, closed door. The voices were muffled but they were able to hear the Pale King's voice and a few other voices that were foreign. 

"Do we have any ideas on how to enter the Dream Realm?" an unfamiliar voice asked. It sounded gruff and deep, Ghost figured it belonged to a male. 

"So far, we don't have anything," said the Pale King. Ghost could tell from his inflection that he was clearly tired. 

Ghost was confused about what they meant by 'entering the Dream Realm'. They suddenly remembered, however, the interaction they had with the Seer. They unsheathed the Dream Nail and looked it over, analyzing the intricate design that lay stricken across the blade. They decided the Pale King needed to know about it, so they knocked on the door. 

"Who's there?" the King's muffled voice shouted. 

Ghost slowly entered the room, seeing three figures they did not recognize sitting next to the Pale King at the table. 

"What do you need, young one?" The Pale King asked. 

Ghost made a writing motion in the air and the Pale King quickly understood. He got up and retrieved a pen and paper, once he did so he slid them across the table towards Ghost. They all silently watched as Ghost wrote something down on the paper. 

_"I can travel to the Dream Realm."_

There were audible murmurs of confusion among the three unfamiliar bugs, but the Pale King simply asked, "How so?" 

Ghost held out the Dream Nail, setting it down on the table so that everyone could view it. 

_"I was given this by an elderly moth woman."_

"I thought all the moths were dead," said one of the females, she had a green dress on with a nail attached to her back. 

The Pale King was clearly shocked by this news, "So did I." 

The table fell into silence. 

~~~

It had been a few hours since the King adjourned the meeting, Ghost was sitting in the gardens alone. Ghost heard the faintest sound of footsteps behind them and turned to see who was there.

"Usually I'm alone in these gardens. It's nice to see someone else spend their free time here," said the White Lady. She stepped in and sat down next to Ghost. "The Pale King told me about the information you provided at the meeting." 

Ghost tilted their head. 

"It's an incredible stroke of luck we found you," she said. "We thought you needed us, but apparently we needed you too." She looked down at her child sitting next to her and smiled. "Fate works in funny ways." 

They sat in silence for a long moment. 

"So, did you get a chance to meet the Knights?" She asked. 

Ghost nodded. 

"Oh come on. Barging in on their conference doesn't really count," she said, standing. "You didn't even tell them your name." She grabbed Ghost's hand and helped them stand. "We should go and introduce you more formally," she had a hint of enthusiasm in her voice. 

Ghost suddenly realized they didn't know if they had a name or not. Hornet had always called them 'Ghost of Hallownest', but that didn't seem like much of a name. 

"What is it?" She could see that her child was thinking very hard about something. 

Ghost still had the quill and parchment from the conference room, so they wrote _"I don't know my name."_

"Oh," she seemed surprised. "Did you never receive one from anybody out in the Wilds?" 

Ghost shook their head and wrote, _"People in the Wilds have no need for names. They all run on base instincts."_

"I guess that makes sense," she said. "Hmm." 

_"Hornet calls me 'Ghost of Hallownest', but that isn't really a name."_

The White Lady said, "That sounds like her," with a bit of anger in her voice. "We can shorten that to just 'Ghost'? Does that sound good?" 

Ghost nodded. _"It's the best option we have."_ They wrote. 

"Wonderful, now let's go and introduce you to the Knights." 

~~~

Dryya was sitting in her bed, clearly thinking hard about something. 

"What's bothering you so much?" Isma asked. "You seem rather stressed." 

"It's that child. I'm supposed to train it, yet it just barged into our meeting and revealed that it was the solution to all our problems. It seems like they don't need training," she said. 

"Well if the Pale King wants you to train them, then you're still obligated to follow his requests," Isma said, sitting up herself. 

"I guess so. But that child is incredibly mysterious. I know almost nothing about them," she said. 

They were interrupted by a knock on the quarters' door. 

"I'll get it," Isma said, standing up. She approached the door and opened it. "O-oh, your majesty." She bowed and backed away so the Queen could enter the room. 

Dryya and Ogrim both stood and bowed as well. 

"No need for the formality," she said with a smile. "I've come to properly introduce Ghost." 

"Who, your majesty?" Ogrim asked. 

The White Lady smiled and said, "The child. Their name is Ghost." Ghost came out from behind their mother. 

Ogrim squatted down to be at the child's height. "It's nice to properly meet you, little one." He smiled at Ghost. "I'm Ogrim." 

Ghost looked up at the lady in the green dress and titled their head. 

Isma laughed slightly, "I'm Isma. I'm glad we finally found someone who can travel to the Dream Realm, albeit younger than we thought." 

Ghost looked around and saw someone wearing a white dress with long horns on the top of her head. 

"I'm Dryya," she said. "We'll be spending a lot of time together in the near future I suppose." 

Ghost titled their head in confusion. 

"She's going to be your combat instructor," said the White Lady. "She's going to train you with the ways of a nail." 

Ghost took out the piece of parchment and quill and wrote _"I already know how to wield a nail."_

"Oh really? Then I guess you wouldn't mind giving us a demonstration?" Dryya said, a smug tone behind her voice. 

_"Not at all."_ They wrote. 

"Then let's go to the training quarters. I want to see what you've got before we actually start lessons," she said. 

~~~

"Be careful with them," The White Lady warned Dryya. Ghost was on the other side of the room, choosing a nail best suited for their stature. "They're still a child." 

She smiled, "I'll go easy on them, I just want to make an evaluation of their current capabilities." 

"Alright..." The White Lady said. She clearly wasn't super comfortable with what was about to happen. 

Dryya and Ghost walked to opposite sides of the training room. 

"I hope you're ready, young one," she said. 

Ghost nodded and readied their nail. Immediately Dryya came out swinging, expertly slashing her nail as she made her way towards Ghost. Ghost dodged her attacks with ease and made an attack of their own, jabbing her in the side and catching her by surprise. Without giving her any time to think they slid across the floor behind her and jumped up. While Ghost was midair, they kicked Dryya in the back of the head hard enough to knock her to the floor. Once she rolled onto her back, she saw Ghost standing above her with their nail pointed at her neck. 

The surprise in the room was palpable. Everybody was shocked by Ghost's performance. Ghost had thought nothing of it, just simple combat techniques that they learned in the Wilds. They held their hand out for Dyyra to take, showing good sportsmanship. She laughed and took it, using it to stand up. 

"Good lord, you're much stronger than your appearance would make you out to be," she said, beaming at the child. "I like you." 

Ghost bowed and returned the nail to the wall of which it was originally hung on. 

The White Lady made her way over to Ghost and asked, "Have you always known how to do that?" 

Ghost nodded. 

"That wasn't just an adrenaline thing?" 

Ghost shook their head. They were incredibly calm. 

The White Lady chuckled a small bit. "I guess we really misjudged you." 

Ghost shrugged. They didn't mind; they even enjoyed surprising everybody that much. 

The White Lady called out to Dryya, "When will proper training start?" She asked. 

"The day after tomorrow!" She called back from the other side of the room. 

"Does that work for you?" She leaned down to speak with Ghost once more. 

Ghost nodded. 

"Wonderful, I know she'll teach you well." The White Lady said that, but she didn't really mean it. With how Ghost had just performed, they weren't aware of what other teaching Ghost would really need. 

Tired, Ghost decided to head to the room that the White Lady had assigned them to sleep. 

~~~

The White Lady was tending to the pearly-white flowers in the indoor garden when she heard the sound of running behind her followed by Dryya saying, "We found them." 

The White Lady immediately stood and faced Dryya. "Ze'mer and her lover?" 

Dryya's expression showed sadness. "Well, we found both of them, but only one of them is alive..." 

The White Lady's eyes widened. "Oh no..." 

"Ze'mer's in a bad headspace right now," Dryya said. "She keeps blaming herself, and wanting to kill herself because she wants to return to her lover." 

"That poor girl," The White Lady said. "Let me talk to her." 

"Of course, your majesty." 

With that, the White Lady stepped out of the gardens and down the various hallways until she made it to the Knight's personal quarters. She knocked... no response. She knocked again... no response. 

"I'm going to come in," the White Lady said. When she came in, she found Ze'mer on her bed, clearly heartbroken. 

"She's gone," Ze'mer said through her teary voice. "It's my fault." 

The White Lady sat on the edge of Ze'mer's bed. "Why do you think it's your fault?" She asked simply. 

"There were mantis warriors... They saw her as an outcast for loving someone of the same gender... I couldn't fend them off long enough," she began to lament heavily. "They tortured her in front of me... And I couldn't do anything to stop it." Her voice was shaky and she had given up fighting tears, letting them stream fast down her face. “They had me watch them... and... and..." she couldn't continue her thought, overcome with sadness and anger once more. 

The White Lady sighed. "Come here," she said. She pulled Ze'mer into a tight embrace, fully enveloping her body in her arms. "I'm so incredibly sorry that this happened. Love is love, and they need to realize that," she said. "But I need you to know that in no way is it your fault, Ze'mer. In no way did you sit by and do nothing. You did all you could, and you may think that it's not enough. Sometimes it isn't. But it's not about what we couldn't do, but it's about what we _can_ do. And you're one of the most capable bugs in this entire kingdom. We need you now more than ever, Ze'mer." 

"I-I-I couldn't even stop a group of mantises, how am I supposed to help you fight a goddess of light and dreams? I'm worthless," she cried into the White Lady's shoulder. 

The White Lady pulled Ze'mer away and looked her dead in the eyes. "You are no such thing. I've never met a more brave young woman, willing to risk her own life to be happy with the woman she loves most, even when you had people telling you you couldn't" the White Lady said with an empowering voice. "You are so much more than you tell yourself you are. This was an incredibly sad thing, but we shouldn't focus on who's to blame. Just give yourself time to mourn." 

Ze'mer's tears didn't slow down at all. "O-okay..." 

"Losing a loved one is the most painful thing anybody can endure," the White Lady said. "I'm here for you, Ze'mer. If you ever need to talk about anything please do." 

"O-okay..." her voice was still incredibly shaky. 

"I'll leave you for now," the White Lady said. "I understand you need some space." She gave her one last quick hug before standing. "Again, please talk to me about anything you need to." 

As the White Lady walked out and closed the door, the sound of Ze'mer's lamenting reverberated off the walls and throughout the palace. 

_Holy shit sorry for not updating this story. For those of you who aren't aware, I just finished completely re-working the plot of Civil War (now called The Heart) AND I've started a new book (soon to be up on AO3 and Quotev). The new book is called "Burn the Father" and it's about the Grimm Troupe's life after the Nightmare Realm is completely destroyed. They don't know what caused it, but they have to move forward, powerless. I'm really looking forward to writing that story because I'm not holding anything back, I'm going full emotional mode. Finna make everyone cry. Anyways, other than that, take care and be good people!_

_-avocado (aka munch)_


	13. Stay With Me

"Oh my god," the Pale King said. He and the White Lady were in their bedroom, getting ready to sleep. She had informed the Pale King of what had happened to Ze'mer. "Is she okay?" 

"Physically or mentally?" The White Lady asked in response, holding back tears. The White Lady was a kind person, she empathized with others very easily. Hearing of something like this happen to someone she knew personally was understandably hard for her. "Her body is okay, but her mind is shattered right now." 

"It might be best if she has a few days rest and some time to herself," the Pale King suggested. "Give her time to grieve in peace." 

"That sounds like a good idea," the White Lady said, fighting harder than ever to break out into tears. 

The Pale King saw that she was clearly about to cry, so he went up and sat down on the bed next to her. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight. She finally gave up fighting and broke into tears. 

"It's not right," she said tearfully. 

"It isn't," he said, trying to comfort her. "Nothing about what they did was right, but we can't undo the damages they've done." He sighed, struggling with things to say. "You know," he started. "A wise woman once told me, 'the strongest people go through the world's worst.'" 

She said, "Don't throw my own prophetic bullshit back at me," she laughed her way through the tears. 

The Pale King chuckled as well, "Well they're true words." 

She finally pulled away from the embrace, "I guess they are," she said, wiping her tears from her face. "Thank you," she said, cupping the Pale King's cheek in her hand. 

He smiled and said, "Let's just get some sleep, yeah?" 

"That sounds like a good idea." 

~~~

The Pale King was furiously tossing and turning in his bed, despite being asleep. The White Lady woke up because of it. 

"Hey, hey," she said, shaking her lover awake. "Are you okay?" She asked him when he awoke. 

He was clearly distressed as he said, "It won't work." 

"What won't?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

"All of this... our efforts," he said, tears beginning to emerge from the corners of his eyes. "It'll all go in vain." 

"No it won't," she said, her voice as empowering as ever. "We just have to-..."

"Yes it will!" he yelled in response. "I know it will! I've seen it!" His voice immediately lowered when he saw the look on the White Lady's face. 

"How do you mean?" She asked. 

He sighed. "As a Wyrm, I have the ability of foresight," he informed her. She was understandably shocked by this news. "It only comes in flashes, and it only sees what's to immediately come, but it still shows the future nonetheless." 

The White Lady seemed to grow angry with the Pale King. "You knew it wouldn't work?" 

"I know now that it won't-..."

"You knew it wouldn't work." She said, clearly angry. Tears of her own began to form as she said, "You threw our... _my_ children down that pit. But you knew it would be for nothing."

"No, I-"

"You knew!" She yelled. "And yet you still tossed them anyways!" Her anger was tearing apart the Pale King on the inside. He hated to see her like this, and hated even more that he was the reason she was like his. His tears began to fall hard and fast. 

She wasn't done being angry, however. "How could you possibly do that?! How could you say 'no cost too great' when you knew the cost wouldn't go towards anything?!" 

"I DIDN'T!" He yelled even louder, immediately silencing her. He began to violently shake as he was openly weeping. "Why would I put myself through such mental torture if I knew what the outcome would be? Why would I willingly throw my children into a pit for nothing? Why would I... Why would I fail as a king on purpose?" 

Her mind was flooding with emotions. 

"So how does it end?" She asked, her tears falling. 

He looked her in the eye. "We lose. And it's my fault." He began to cry once more. "This whole thing is my fault." 

She quickly pulled him into an embrace. "No, it's not. I'm sorry for yelling, it was out of line." 

"I am too," he said. "You didn't deserve it. None of you deserve the hell I've put you through." 

She tightened her arms around him. "Don't say that. You're trying your best, and that's all we can ask of you." 

He smiled sadly as he looked her in the eye. "My best isn't good enough." He pressed his head against hers and kissed her. "I love you so much," he said. "Don't forget that about me." 

"How could I ever?" She said. "I love you too." 

"Then you'll have to forgive me," he said. 

"I already do," she gave him another tight embrace. 

He looked at her with tearful eyes, "Thank you." 

Without warning, he grabbed a dagger and drove it into his chest. 

"NO!" She yelled. Her tears fell harder and faster than they ever had in her life. "PLEASE!" 

He fell back on the bed, laying limp on her lap. He tearfully smiled. "I'm sorry," he brought his hand up to her cheek. "I love you..." His voice was faint and painful. 

"Please," she said, her lip quivering. "Please... stay with me... I can't lose you... I can't..." 

He looked at her, "The strongest people go through the world's worst." His voice was even fainter. 

"I'm not strong," she said, pulling him up and pressing him against her chest. "I can't go through this. Please, dear. Stay with me."

He let out one last shaky breath, the words "I love you," could be faintly heard underneath it. 

And just like that, The Pale King died in the White Lady's arms...


End file.
